Manufacturer adds to city’s job base

Several elected officials welcomed Liberty Bathing Walk-in Tubs to Thomasville’s business community.Pictured from left are Thomasville City Council member Raleigh York Jr.; Mayor Joe Bennett; Darian Campbell, Jenniffer Campbell, Steve Brown and Darlene Brown, owners of the business; and Councilwoman Pat Shelton.

THOMASVILLE —

It’s a small business with big dreams.

Liberty Bathing Walk-in Tubs of Thomasville held a grand opening Aug. 7 and the owners believe they have positioned themselves to become a contender in a competitive market.

The business at 105 Todd Court now has four employees and their vision for the future is bigger.

Co-owner Darian Campbell said that he and his wife Jenniffer and co-owners Steve and Darlene Brown, want to provide affordable, American-made walk-in bathtubs for the people in the area.

"You shouldn't have to be a millionaire to have a walk-in tub," Campbell said. "We wanted to make a product that was affordable whether it is someone in a wheelchair looking for accessibility or an elderly person concerned about safety," Campbell said.

The company creates its own molds and cast its own tubs.

“Even our pumps are made in America," said Campbell.

Thomasville City Council strongly supports small business.

“We in Thomasville have gone through a situation where the main employer for years and years dwindled down to nothing,” Thomasville Mayor Joe Bennett told the Times. “The lesson learned to go forward is that we have to diversity and have different manufacturing products.

“Most of the growth will be small business. They are important today. The larger employers are far and few in between, but if we get four employees, hallelujah.”

Bennett, along with councilmen Raleigh York Jr. and Pat Shelton attended the opening ceremony.

The Council also supports use of existing facilities.

Bennett added that the business owners faced an extensive clean-up process. Because the facility had previously been occupied by a sock manufacturer, lint had to be removed throughout the building.

“It impressed me that these [owners] knew this product and how to put it together,” Bennett said of the tub manufacturer.

The owners also utilized energy saving measures. After the initial portion of the manufacturing process is completed on one side of the building, those lights can be cut off and the process can continue on the other side of the building.

Campbell believes it was important to use one of the empty buildings in town.

"We wanted to beautify Thomasville," Campbell said. "We wanted to do something to better our community and make one less empty building."

And, there’s one other claim.

"Since Thomasville is known as the Chair City, we wanted to put a chair in everyone’s bathtub!" Campbell said.

Liberty Bathing Walk-in Tubs is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or by appointment. For more information, visit www.libertybathing.com, call 472-2244 or write libertybathing@yahoo.com.